Futodama
God of Mitegura, Futomani, Norito,Shimenawa and Peace
Futodama (Japanese: 布刀玉命) or Futotama is a god in Japanese mythology, claimed to be the ancestor of Inbe clan, whose characteristics are believed to reflect the functions of the clan as court ritualists.
Name and etymology
The god is known as Ame-no-Futodama-no-Mikoto (天太玉命) or Futodama (布刀玉, 太玉) for short. His name is speculated to mean great gift or offering.
Myths
After Susanoo accidentally killed one of Amaterasu's attendants in her weaving hall, she got upset and locked herself in Ama-no-Iwato, causing the world to plunge into darkness. After almost a year of chaos, Omoikane and the other gods came up with a plan to get her out. Futodama and Ame-no-Koyane were tasked with performing a divination. After Amaterasu left the cave, Futodama used a shimenawa to prevent her from going back to the cave again. This story is said to be the mythical origin of shimenawa.
In the Kogo Shūi, Futodama is placed as the leader of the performed rituals.
Family
In the Kogo Shūi, Futodama is recorded as the son of Takamimusubi, and brother of Takuhadachiji-hime and Ame-no-Oshihi-no-Mikoto.
“Futodama” enters the record as god of Mitegura, Futomani, Norito,Shimenawa and Peace. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Futodama, Mitegura and Futomani can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Futodama” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Futodama, Mitegura and Futomani provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11059539. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Futodama”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Futodama primary sources, Futodama archive and Futodama research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Futodama”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Futodama” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.